New Jersey will
soon be one of the first states to have an equal pay law that extends beyond
gender to all classes of employees that are protected under the state’s antidiscrimination
law. Governor Murphy is about to sign the Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act, which makes
it unlawful for an employer to compensate employees of a protected class
less than employees that are not in that class for “substantially similar” work
in terms of skill, effort, and responsibility. It will also be a violation of
the law for an employer to retaliate against an employee for requesting,
discussing with, or disclosing to another employee or his/her lawyer or any government agency,
information related to employee compensation. Also, the law prohibits a NJ
employer from requiring an employee, as a condition of employment, to sign a
waiver or to agree not to make these types of requests or disclosures. The law
applies to both public and private employers in NJ.

Q:What if a NJ employer is found to be in violation
of the Equal Pay Act?

A: The
employee will be awarded treble damages: three times the amount of the pay
differential.

As we get
closer to the date the Equal Pay Act takes effect, July 1, 2018, employers
should identify any problematic pay disparities and, if found, take steps to
remedy any differences that could be attributed to membership in a
protected class.